Travels with the dog - Liverpool to Belfast

When we visit our son, DIL and grandson for a week, we take the dog with us. It's a simple process as we travel by ferry.

With Brexit we were originally advised in 2021 that Bob would need an EU passport to travel, but thankfully that plan was scraped (after we got him a passport) We do carry his vet book and chip number as we were checked on one occasion due to people smuggling puppies over the sea.

Bob is used to long journeys having started his life in South Africa in 2010, moving to Dubai with us in 2015 and onto the UK in 2020. Him and the cat didn't need crate training they took to it naturally.

He has no problem going in a crate on a plane, at home or at our sons house, but the second you near the kennels on board the ferry he starts to run on the spot on the slippery surface as he tries to dig his feet in.

He doesn't get travel sick in the car and it's almost 3 hours to the docks, before we even get on board, followed by another 7 hours on the sea. 

He greeted us like this in the morning.

Whilst we queue to board we walk him around the docks and on arrival he gets fed and we make sure he has a pee before he goes back in the car, then we stop at the first services for a walk before we complete our journey home.

Bob was 13 years old earlier this month, I'm not sure how many more trips we'll be able to make with him, but while we can, it's nice to have him come along.

Do you travel with your dog?

Things to do on a Stena Ferry.

Check in at the port closes half an hour before sailing. 

We only travel on the Liverpool-Belfast-Liverpool crossing. It takes 8 hours. 

We travel by car, we take the dog.

We book a cabin for an overnight crossing as a preference, but if they're not available then we book the Lounge + where you can stretch out on a seat, help yourself to complimentary drinks and snacks and have meals served to your table.

If you don't have a cabin and need one, then visit Guest Services on Deck 7, right by the door where you enter from the car deck. They have a waiting list and will call your name if one becomes available.

The other option for sleep is the HYGEE lounge, with reclining allocated seats.

The dog can either stay in your vehicle or go into the kennels for an additional charge. The kennels are clean, located on the right of the ship Starboard. There is an area to walk the dog and the kennels are secure with a key code to enter. They are clean, there is bedding and bowls and access to water. 

So once onboard, what can you do to entertain yourself?

Well on a night crossing, I'd recommend you get straight to sleep, if you can. If in a cabin car alarms will go on and off most of the night, but at least you can lie flat and have a shower in the morning.

If you're on a day crossing, find a seat, settle in. Read, watch downloads on your device, chat with your other passengers, order a meal, watch the waves, walk your dog if you have one, watch the TV with subtitles, sleep.

Alternatively you could explore the ferry, find out for me what the restaurant and bars are like, how much the cinema costs and is there anything else to find out about.

Exercising a dog in Dubai in summer.

Between the end of November and the end of April, we walk outside, twice a day. In December, January and February, I walk Bob whenever the mood takes me or him and sometimes we'll have a 3rd walk in the middle of the day for something to do.

In March and April we walk according to the temperature, so usually within a couple of hours of sunrise and after sunset.

We're in June now. The sun rises at 5.30am and sets around 6.45pm. Before we set off on our morning walks, I check the ground temperature. In the same way you'd check a babies bottle isn't too hot before you give it to them. If I can't walk without burning my bare feet, then Bob can't walk either. 

Between June-October, walks will reduce to almost none as the humidity levels rise, even walking after sunset, it's still too hot for Bob to be exercising in temperatures of 45c. I started to reduce the length of the walks and cut them down to once a day. 

Bob has been enjoying a super long lead to go for walks around our neighbourhood. We do occasionally get tangled in a tree and there is some grass we can walk on, but most of it is sand, which gets as hot as the pavements.

I also take Bob to a dog park once a week. There's an outdoor area with a pool, where I let him run off some energy when we arrive and he'll take himself off for a dip in the pool.

  The indoor play area is air conditioned, with an indoor pool also.

We have our own pool at home, with solid walls which I use to bathe Bob in. I'd like to get a bigger one for us both to use, but the garden is too small.

I'm in the UK now till the end of August. Bob will be spending most of the time in kennels. It's a large indoor play space, where he can mix with other dogs, get regular exercise as well as a comfy bed and food. He actually loves going to Doggie Day Care and is a regular visitor at Paw Parking. 

Bob and Pushkins go on holiday - Animal Tales

Both the cat and dog get sensitive when I get ready to travel. Bob normally follows me around the house, from room to room and will sit outside the bathroom to wait for me. If I uncross my legs, he's up and ready to follow me. However when the suit case comes out, Bob takes himself to bed and sulks.

Pushkins becomes over friendly and gets under my feet and will do anything to hinder my packing process.

Bob spent the holidays with his girlfriend Jelly, he was eager to get in the car and settled in really quickly in his holiday home for the next 2 weeks.

Pushkins spent 2 weeks at the vets, she's normally reluctant to get in her cat basket, but as the zip had broken from her last escape attempt, I got her travel box out the shed, which she explored and went straight inside.

When we got back from the first part of our trip, we had an over night stay back home. I visited the cat, who purred, moulted and snuggled into me and after a few minutes, she jumped down and walked back in the other room to her cage.

In the evening I went to see Bob, he knew I wasn't bringing him home, I have no idea how he knew that, but after his initial excitement at seeing me, he took himself to bed, with a backwards glance at me.

Peter collected both the cat and dog after the 2nd week and I returned a week later, arriving the same time as child 3 and his girlfriend. They left on Saturday night, Bob was over the moon to see us both as he'd seen the suitcases come out, but had no idea if I was staying or going.

Child 5 will be here soon for a week and in mid June I shall be going back to the UK for the summer. Peter will be looking after Bob and Pushkins and there will be a visit from Jelly for 2 weeks and he will have to board the pets for a few days when both him and Jelly's owners are away with work.

Pet Boarding with Posh Paws in Dubai

Bob and Pushkins spent 17 nights in the kennels and cattery at Posh Paws in Dubai, while hubby and I were in the UK.

This is the first time they've boarded, we were very careful with our research as when I googled the options, the costs were too high and when I looked for alternative boarding all I came across were negative experiences.

Returning to the house in the evening after dropping the cat in Dubai, on the Al Khawaneej around 30 mins from home and then the dog at the kennels in Ajman another 40 minutes away, was a very strange feeling. I didn't fly till later that evening and hubby had a further day and night at home before joining me.

On my arrival in the UK I emailed Posh Paws to find out how they were both doing and was reassured they were both fine. Although I thought about them quite a bit, I made no further contact, knowing they had my email address should there be any problems.

I cannot speak highly enough of Posh Paws and their care of Bob and Pushkins. Both animals were happy and with healthy shiny coats when I collected them, neither had lost of gained weight which was one of the complaints many people have had of boarding their animals in Dubai.

Bob was very excited when he was brought to me, but that excitement was for being outside and not seeing me.

Pushkins was brought to me in her basket and was very stressed for the journey home, but when I let her out she explored the house and gardens with me near by, just in case she decided to make a run for it.

I went out that evening to do the food shop and Bob was he usual happy self to see me when I got back, however at 4am the following morning when hubby arrived home Bob was bounding around him. We popped out that afternoon and Bob ignored me on our return but fussed over hubby. I guess this is my payback for leaving him. He is however following me from room to room to keep a close eye on me.

By the end of the weekend I'd been forgiven and he was back to his usual greeting of me as if he hasn't seen me for many years, yet alone minutes.

Pushkins has discovered her voice and is mewing/shouting at me none stop, following me everywhere and if I stand still she sits on my foot.

Both animals are making none stop demands to be outside as at the kennels and cattery they had cat/dog flaps they could access, whereas at home we have to open the door to let them out and the weather is much cooler than when we left.

Bob is back in his usual spot and as for Pushkins she's back to not being able to find her spot.

I've been looking out for a female cat and her 3 kittens, I've been away quite a bit during the summer, but they're getting food from somewhere and drink the water from the air conditioning unit. I wanted to befriend them so I could take the kittens to be sterilised (someone has already done the mother a few weeks after she gave birth) 

I won't be doing that any more after a vicious attack from the mother last week when I was feeding them all and was inching my way closer so they could used to my presence when the mother pounced and bit my hand rather badly, causing me to shake her off. There was a lot of blood, but I've survived as will the offending cat.

I had a tetanus shot when I was bitten on the back of my leg by a dog in the UK in 2013 and a booster in 2014 when a monkey in South Africa bit my arm.

Holidays for Pets

This is the first time we've boarded our cat and dog whilst going on holiday.

Bob was a rescue with only a few days left at the SPCA when we found him, he was skinny, frightened and looked very sad.

He quickly moved in with us and after a few weeks he seemed to accept he was going to stay.

The cat found us a year earlier, she moved in with us and 6 weeks followed us to our new home.

If we went away for a few days either a neighbour would look after the cat and dog or child no 4 of 5 was at home for the weekend.
For longer periods of time when we were on a road trip a friend would come and stay at the house for a couple of weeks.
Many times we took Bob with us on holiday when we lived in South Africa and our friend would just cat sit the house.

Both the cat and dog had no long term effects from their move to Dubai, in fact there weren't any short term effects after a 8 hour flight and a 4 hour stop over each side before they were delivered to their new home. The dog looked at me for a few minutes, ran and explored the new garden and promptly reverted to his old self. Within a week of trying to keep the cat indoors as we hadn't moved into the house at this point, but visited twice daily, we let her out, she explored a little, came home, ate, slept, ate and repeat.

This is the first time the cat and dog have boarded. My biggest issue was getting the cat in her basket for the car journey, dopey Bob will go anywhere with me, sometimes he just joins me for the short journey to the train station to collect hubby from work.

I've researched the cattery and kennells well, I've asked others about their experiences, I've checked online. I've visited and once I selected one, I took Bob with me to visit, just to gauge his reaction.

Both animals are staying with Posh Paws. The cattery is out on the Al Khawaneej Road past the airport and takes about 35 minutes to reach and the kennels are in Ajman about another 40 minutes away.

Cattery

Kennels

They are very reasonable priced, part of their stay is in peak season, so a little more expensive but it includes all their food, care, baths and nails and frontline on entry.

With their bags packed and water and treats for the journey, as I'm a big softie, we set off with Bob not having a clue where he was going but very excited to be going somewhere.

The cat was dropped off first, she cried all the way there, she really doesn't like being shut in small spaces unless it's by choice and in my wardrobe.

Her room for the next 17 nights is large and comfy, she has controlled access to an outdoor space during the evenings when it has cooled down a little.

Bob sprung out the car and immediately set off after a stray cat, dragging me behind him, he happily entered his new home for the next 17 nights and didn't actually seem that bothered to be in there. He too has access to outdoor space early in the mornings and after sunset, he will also be walked twice a day and be able to use the socialising yard, as he loves being in the company of other dogs.

Bob has a huge bed with blankets and I left a couple of his toys with him.

 Bob needed showing how to get through the plastic doors

I have no idea what they think is happening to them. I'm hoping Bob has a short memory, he fared well with the move from South Africa and the flight to Dubai, I'm just a little worried he'll think he's been abandoned, but I'll be collecting him soon and if he does have a short memory he'll soon forget about his time in the kennels. The only reason I worry is because I know how much he misses me when I'm away.

Who knows what Pushkins will make of the whole ordeal, this is also the first time for her, although going from previous experiences it'll be just something she does.

I dropped them both off yesterday, I'm in the UK now for 17 nights, I'm sure they'll be both ok. I just hope they don't think I've abandoned them, especially as they've been separated. I'll let you know how they react to me when I get back.

What to look for when choosing kennelling and catteries for your pets

In South Africa a friend used to house and pet sit when we went away for any length of time and if out for the day a neighbour would pop round for the feeding. We acquired the cat after 2 years of living in SA and the dog the following year. By that time we'd established ourselves in the community and had friends we could rely on for animal and child care and vice versa. We've only been in Dubai 6 months and it does take quite a while to establish friendships and set up networks in which one can say 'please look after my cat and dog for 2 weeks.'

There are plenty of home services, where someone comes to your house twice a day to feed the animals and walk the dog, but after a few messages with a guy who runs a service like this I was very much put off. I'll not go into details but I didn't like his manner when I asked what checks were done on people and he replied 'oh we only employ western expats, not those from 3rd world countries' so many issues raised here.

I visited a couple of local vets where they offer boarding and was dismayed to see the size of the cages for both the cat and dog, although I'm sure they're regulation sizes, I was not happy with the thought of them being caged up all day and Bob only being let out twice a day for walking.

Boarding costs for your pets in Dubai are very expensive and as a result many expats abandon their pets before returning to their home countries to escape the summer here. The rescue centres are over run already with unwanted pets and many have had to close their doors, it's heartbreaking that people can do this to their animals. I've yet to see any stray dogs on the streets but we do have a large number of stray cats, this one in particular pays regular visits for food and water, but shhhhh don't tell hubby.

I've visited 3 places having joined groups on face book and asking questions.

I've opted to use DKC, they were the company who we used to bring our pets from South Africa in December 2014. I felt like I was choosing a pre school facility, I had loads of questions about walks, food, toilet needs and play and of course would they contact me if there were any issues?

The kennels and catteries are air conditioned, each pet has their own room with access indoors and out. 

If you have more than 1 dog they can share and offer you a 20% discount on subsequent dogs.

During the day they take it it turns to let the cats, one at a time, wander freely around the cattery.

The dogs are taken on 2 walks a day and have access to one of several yards where they socialise.

I was really impressed with the facilities and the information given to me as to how they monitor food intake and toileting. I'm sure Bob will have a whale of a time and Pushkins will probably be a little stunned, but she's survived an international flight and relocation, she'll get over it.

It cost AED 135 per day for Bob and AED 110 per day for Pushkins and they'll be boarding for 11 days at a total cost of AED 2695/£478 which includes all their food. It's expensive and I'm sure hubby will have near heart failure when I tell him how much, but I can justify it by the fact that we are now 1 child down when it comes to air fares now, but it is this 1 child that we are going back to the UK to visit as he passes out of the British Army in September.

Over the next few weeks for Animal Tales, HDYGG and Time Traveller I will be using old posts for linking up while I'm on holiday. I'm hoping for an encounter with a bear or a moose while I'm in Canada for Animal Tales, I'll be blogging about Catherine's garden who you can find on twitter as @alwaysaredhead where I'll be staying for my holiday and of course thtere will be numerous posts for Time Traveller.